I’m an English Lit major, so terminology
and definitions are things I really like.
Watching this episode and thinking about how these ideas apply to RPGs
has really crystallized my thoughts regarding random character generation, which
I discussed recently.

GDC is focused on video game development,
but from my perspective, there is no real difference between video games, board
games and tabletop role-playing games in terms of design and tuning. As we will see, the MDA framework can just as
easily apply to any tabletop RPG.

MDA stands for:

Mechanics, Dynamics, Aesthetics, the 3 components
of game design.

Essentially,
MDA breaks the consumption of a game down into three elements, Rules, Systems
and “Fun”, and identifies Mechanics, Dynamics and Aesthetics as the design
counterpoints of those three elements.

Mechanics are the rules/systems that make up the actual game.

Dynamics are the play experiences that those mechanics create.

Aesthetics are the underlying reasons we go to the game for.

The Aesthetics component can be broken down
further, and each game generally hits specific core aesthetics. When somebody says to me that something “feels”
right, then I automatically assume they are talking aesthetics.

MDA lists 8 core aesthetics:

Sense Pleasure – how the game stimulates the
senses.

Fantasy – the ability to step into a new
role while playing the game.

Narrative – the game as drama.

Challenge – the game as obstacle course

Fellowship – working cooperatively to
achieve a goal.

Competition – games as expression of
dominance.

Discovery – the act of uncovering the new.

Expression – the need to express self in
the game.

Abnegation – game as pastime – desire to
play to disengage or “zone out”.

Different RPG’s, indeed different versions
of the same RPGs, focus on different core Aesthetics.

OD&D, for example, is largely focused on
Challenge, Fellowship and Discovery.
Fantasy enters into it to a lesser extent, as do Narrative and
Expression – but really, old-school D&D as written isn't as much about
those aesthetics. For many people who
have been playing D&D for a long time, there is also a sense pleasure aspect
to rolling handfuls of dice or putting the first few lines on a blank sheet of
graph paper.

“My” version of D&D – the one I played
the most of, is 2e, and 2e, especially with the splatbooks, has a fairly
different set of core aesthetics. It’s
much more about Fantasy, Narrative and Expression, piled on top of the
Fellowship and Discovery aspects of earlier versions of D&D. I feel like the Challenge aspect is somewhat
reduced, too. Not that it isn’t
challenging, just the Challenge as a core aesthetic takes something of back
seat other aspects.

How about you? What is your favorite RPG and what are the
aesthetics that draw you to it?